The 13-year music cycle revisited
Years ago, I published a theory on how rock and pop have been locked in a struggle for cultural dominance. It’s just been picked up by the Foundation for the Study of Cycles, a rather big-brained outfit that looks at patterns of repetition throughout history. They also have a magazine entitled Cycles devoted to such things.
This is the latest issue.
My article starts on page 86.
I first looked at the chunk of dates and thought 1990-whatever and saw Depeche Mode and as fast as my knee jerked, I went backwards and read a little bit of the slot before.
1976- 2979 and thought, omg, he nailed that one. All the others, I know nada. But ’76-89..even though I was too young for punk in its original timeline, the music, no matter how embarrassing of that day , while not shaping me, did have a superficial meaning in my life. Some have very distinct memories. But go forward to the 80-81 and there it all truly kicked off and a new waver was born, later to be influence by goth and industrial and punk – both 70s and 80s because we had a badass scene in California: NorCal and SoCal. I’ve mentioned before but I was truly in the right places at the right times (although I wish I had a two-five year head start.) I hate to say the word because I’m an atheist but I was blessed. People, venues, towns radio stations, zines, record stores, you name it, I feel like I had a backstage and all access pass. I didn’t! But I do feel that lucky.
PS And 89…just picture death..89 was the death of my music…of course we know now that it wasn’t a permanent death per se but ( much cussing) grunge. Grunge was the death knell for my music.